Raspberry plant name &#39;Driscoll Sevillana&#39;

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of raspberry plant named ‘Driscoll Sevillana’. The new cultivar is distinguished from other raspberry cultivars by its large firm fruit with consistent fruit structure and high yield. The new cultivar is distinguished from its parent by being a less vigorous plant, producing more uniform and more elongated shape fruit, and having larger and less acidic fruit.

1. LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES OF THE PLANT CLAIMED

The variety is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L. subgenus Rubus.

1.2 VARIETY DENOMINATION

The Raspberry variety denomination is ‘Driscoll Sevillana’.

2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a new cultivar of raspberry called ‘Driscoll Sevillana’. The new cultivar was developed from the hybridization of the selection ‘Isabel’ (U.S. Pat. No. PP 9,340) as the seed parent with the selection ‘Driscoll Cardinal’ (U.S. Pat. No. PP 14,903) as the pollen parent. The parents were crossed in 1998, whereafter fruit and seed were collected to produce seedlings for field planting in Oxnard, Calif. in 1999. The new cultivar was selected from these seedlings in 1999 for its large firm fruit. The new cultivar has been asexually propagated by in vitro shoot tip culture, root sucker division and root cuttings at the Cassin Ranch in Santa Cruz County, Calif. and has been shown to maintain the desired and distinguishing characteristics after propagation over several generations.

3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a new and distinct cultivar of red raspberry plant named ‘Driscoll Sevillana’. The variety is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L. The ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ red raspberry plant produces a primocane crop which begins in mid July and continues until early November. The floricane crop begins in late April and continues until late June. Both the primocane and floricane yields are high relative to other comparable varieties. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ is notably quite firm and very consistent with regard to its size and shape throughout its harvest period. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ separates easily from its receptacle.

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs show typical specimens of the primocane fruit, leaves and shoot of the new cultivar, in color as nearly true as it is reasonably possible to make in color illustrations of these characteristics.

FIG. 1 is a photograph of ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ primocane flowers and fruit in various stages of development.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ primocane leaves showing upper and lower leaf surfaces.

FIG. 3 is a photograph of a ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ primocane shoot.

5. DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the new raspberry cultivar, ‘Driscoll Sevillana’, is based upon recorded observations of plants and fruit grown in Watsonville, Calif. between 2001 and 2002, and is believed to apply to plants of the ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ cultivar grown in similar conditions of soil and climate elsewhere.

Throughout this specification, color names beginning with a small letter signify that the name of the color, as used in common speech, is aptly descriptive. Color data beginning with a capital letter and followed by an alphanumeric code indicates the most similar color designations as provided by The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Colour Chart published by The Royal Horticultural Society of London, England. Color designations, color descriptions, and other phenotypical descriptions may deviate from the stated values and descriptions depending upon variation in environmental, seasonal, climatic and cultural conditions.

Table 1 provides information on the plant and fruit characteristics of the new cultivar ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ compared with characteristics of the unpatented raspberry cultivar ‘Heritage’. Comparisons of the cultivars were taken under similar conditions.

The new variety is particularly characterized and distinguished from other cultivars by its large firm fruit with consistent fruit structure and high yield. The fruit color of ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ is a medium red at harvest but darkens after harvest to a deeper color. Fruit of ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ separates easily from the receptacle and is of excellent firmness at harvest. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ is very consistent in size and shape throughout the harvest period.

The primocane and floricane yields of ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ are high relative to the variety ‘Heritage’. ‘Driscoll Sevillana’ is distinguishable from its pollen parent, selection ‘Isabel’, by being a less vigorous plant and producing more uniform and more elongated shape fruit. The new cultivar is distinguished from its seed parent, selection ‘Driscoll Cardinal’, by having larger and less acidic fruit.

5.1 DISEASE AND STRESS RESISTANCE

Resistance is unknown to powdery mildew and root rots. Cold tolerance of the new cultivar has not been established. Post harvest fruit rot resistance is good in comparison over many selections and varieties. TABLE 1 PLANT CHARACTERISTICS OF ‘DRISCOLL SEVILLANA’ Driscoll Sevillana Heritage GENERAL Plant Size Small-Med Large Growth habit Erect Erect Productivity High Medium Self-fruitfulness Self-fruitful Self-fruitful Time of bud burst Early Late Primocane fruiting Percent of cane Length 40-60 20-40 flowering as Primocane Percent of total yield 60 53 Primocanes Number of young shoots Many Medium Young shoot pigmentation Medium Medium Length (cm) 123 195 Time of shoot emergence Early Medium Glaucosity (waxy bloom) Weak Weak Strength Medium Medium Cane cross section (from Angular Rounded to angular mid cane of primocane) Dormant cane color 166-A 166-B Prickles Pigmentation Brown to purple Green-brownish to green Density on young shoots Medium Dense Attitude of tip Downward Downward Size Medium Medium Size: Length (mm) (base 1.7 2 to tip at 1 m height at end of harvest) Texture Heavy Heavy Presence and distribu- Present, regularly Present, regularly tion of petioles distributed distributed Pubescence on canes Absent Absent Internodal distance (cm) 4.1 4.3 (at central 1/3 of cane) LEAVES Color Face 147-A 147-A Underside 148-C 148-C Relief between veins Weak Weak Glossiness Medium Medium Petiole Length (cm) 4.4 7.0 Pigmentation of upper Absent Lightly surface Pigmentation of underside Unpigmented Unpigmented Stipule orientation Erect Erect Arrangement Compound Compound Number of leaflets Sometimes 3, Sometimes 3, Sometimes 5 sometimes 5 Overlapping of lateral Free to touching Free to touching leaflets Lateral leaflet: length Very short Very short to stalklet (lower pair) Terminal leaflet Length (cm) 11.5 14.8 Width (cm) 9.5 8.8 Shape Ovate Ovate Tip Acuminate Acuminate Base Cordate Rounded Margin Doubly serrate Doubly serrate Lateral leaflets (basal pair) Length (cm) 10.1 13.7 Width 6.6 7.8 Orientation Opposite Opposite Shape Ovate Ovate Tip Acuminate Acuminate Base Oblique Oblique Margin Doubly serrate Doubly serrate Rachis length between 2.5-4.5 3.7-5.8 terminal leaflet and adjacent lateral leaflet (cm) FLOWERS Flowering period Primocane Mid June through Early July through Early October Early October Floricane Late March through Mid April through Late May Mid June Flower size Medium Medium Petal Length (cm) 0.8 0.7 Width (cm) 0.3 0.3 Pedicel Coloration Present Present, strong Intensity Length Medium Short to medium FRUIT Harvest Season Primocane Mid July- Early August- early November early November Floricane Late April- Late May- late June mid July Color Medium Red Medium Red Immature 180-A 180-A Maturing 182-A 185-B Mature fruit 185-A 185-A Glossiness Medium Medium Shape Ovate Ovate Dimensions Size Medium Small Length (mm) 21 19 Width (mm) 21 19 Length:width 1.0 1.0 Weight (g/Fruit) Primocane 4.8 3.4 Floricane 4.1 2.6 Soluble Solids (%) 9.0 10.5 Titratable acidity 1.80 1.50 (% as citric acid) Seeds Weight (mg) 1.74 1.62 Number druplets/fruit 81 75 Adherence to plug (1-9) Medium Medium Firmness Medium to firm Firm Yield High Medium 

1. A new and distinctive cultivar of raspberry plant, substantially as shown and described. 